Greens’ Poorly Drafted Lobbying Bill Should be Withdrawn

A six month delay of the Select
Committee’s report back on the Greens’ Lobbying Bill
proves just how poorly drafted and misguided it is – the
bill should be withdrawn, ACT Leader John Banks said
today.

The Government Administration Select Committee will
not report back on Green MP Holly Walker’s Lobbying
Disclosure Bill until July 2013, six months later than
originally planned.

“ACT was always concerned that this
bill was too far reaching and would stifle the ability of
people and organisations to freely communicate with MPs,”
Mr Banks said.

“However, we supported it at first
reading because we support the principle of transparency and
open government, and we wanted to give the public and those
who would be impacted by the bill a chance to have their
say.

“The public has now spoken and the bill has been
slammed.

“The Clerk of the House, the Office of the
Auditor-General, the Attorney General, and the legal and
business communities have all criticised the bill. Many in
the community and voluntary sector are also opposed to it
due to the significant administrative burden it would place
on their already limited resources.

“In its current
form, the bill would do more harm than good:

It
provides an unfair advantage to lobbyists from powerful
voluntary organisations by only demanding that paid
lobbyists have to register.

It would force
organisations who want to raise an issue with their local MP
to join a lobbyist register.

The confusion it
creates around who is a lobbyist and when they are lobbying
would increase demand for professional lobbyists who know
how to navigate the law.

“An anti-lobbying
bill that helps professional lobbyists at the expense of
wider public consultation will go down as the biggest own
goal in the history of Private Members’ Bills.

“Ms
Walker has suggested that the bill could be tightened, but
in reality the more exemptions that are made the more unfair
it will become - some people would have to disclose their
meetings with MPs, while others wouldn’t.

“On the
flipside, if it is broadened to include anyone who meets an
MP it will stifle freedom of speech and force people to use
professional lobbyists.

“The bill has now been
criticised by almost everyone it impacts. It is highly
unlikely that this bill can be salvaged.

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